Special offer. Ostrčil: Jack’s Kingdom
Ivo Žídek, Jaroslava Vymazalová & Přemysl Kočí
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Prague Symphony Orchestra, Václav Neumann, Václav Jiráček
Rare works by influential Czech conductor Otakar Ostrčil, Prague radio forces conducted here by Václav Jiráček, Jack’s Kingdom is a Soviet-style operatic fable (after Tolstoy), in his later...
Special offer. Ostrčil: Jack’s Kingdom
Ivo Žídek, Jaroslava Vymazalová & Přemysl Kočí
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Prague Symphony Orchestra, Václav Neumann, Václav Jiráček
Purchase product
Rare works by influential Czech conductor Otakar Ostrčil, Prague radio forces conducted here by Václav Jiráček, Jack’s Kingdom is a Soviet-style operatic fable (after Tolstoy), in his later...
About
A unique recording of the undeservedly overlooked opera on CD for the very first time.
Recorded in Prague in the Czech Radio, January 1954 (Jack's Kingdom), and at the Rudolfinum, November 19, 20 and 24, 1957 (Calvary).
The complete recording of Jack’s Kingdom, the final opera by Otakar Ostrčil (1879-1935), a remarkable fairy-tale work with an antiwar message, is now being released on CD for the first time.
It is based on L. N. Tolstoy’s short story about a land ruled by the good-natured Ivan (transformed in the opera into Honza, or Jack) who knows not what spite is. In his kingdom, soldiers do not wage wars, yet dance and love, all diseases are cured and people are happy. Honza brings to all the people the miraculous star of compassion, love and peace, possessing so great a power that it even cures the incurable Princess and prevails over the Devil himself. When the opera was premiered in Brno (1934) and subsequently presented in Prague, it gave rise to a conflict between Ostrčil and a part of Czech society.
The present CD features the one and only studio recording of the opera, made in 1954 by the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, with Ivo Žídek, Jaroslava Vymazalová and Přemysl Kočí singing the lead roles. The CD also contains a unique recording of Ostrčil’s Calvary, Op. 24, made in 1957 by the Czech Philharmonic, conducted by Václav Neumann.
Contents and tracklist
Awards and reviews
May 2018
Rare works by influential Czech conductor Otakar Ostrčil, Prague radio forces conducted here by Václav Jiráček, Jack’s Kingdom is a Soviet-style operatic fable (after Tolstoy), in his later astringent style.
December 2017
Ivo Žídek takes the vocal honours: a tireless, generous tenor in the title-role…The Supraphon remastering engineers have done a decent job on what appear to be intractable original tapes.
